1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of spray coating a building and particularly to an exterior insulation finish system (xe2x80x9cEIFSxe2x80x9d) employed in residential and commercial construction projects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Exterior insulation finish systems (xe2x80x9cEIFSxe2x80x9d) are commonly employed in construction projects. EIFS conventionally uses sheets of insulation material, such as polystyrene, which are mounted to the exterior surface of a building. The sheets of polystyrene are then sprayed with a base coat, which commonly consists of a cement-based material. A fiberglass mesh material is conventionally embedded in the base coat before it dries. A finish coat is then applied over the base coat. The finish coat commonly comprises a plaster-based material. The end product is a wall with an aesthetically pleasing appearance and superior insulative properties.
Although most commonly applied by hand, machinery is available for applying the base and finish coats. Most commonly, these machines comprise a dual-hose/single nozzle apparatus such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,096 to Stenge, et al. The machinery comprises an air compressor connected to a nozzle by an air tube, and a pump connected to the same nozzle by a tube through which viscous material is forced. The compressed air atomizes the viscous material and directs the viscous material toward the subject surface.
Similarly, EIFS application machinery is manufactured by STO(copyright) which incorporates not only the pump/air compressor/nozzle arrangement, but also includes a mixing silo and an electrical generator, as well. The inclusion of these machines with the conventional spraying apparatus allows a user to transport the apparatus to a remote site and employ EIFS at that remote site.
Transportable EIFS application machinery is not without problems, however. Often, on remote sites, an inadequate water supply exists for the preparation of the base coat, the creation of which commonly requires the mixing of dry material with water. Additionally, water that may be available at the site may not be of an appropriate temperature to provide optimal application. Ideally, the water used in the base coat material should be between 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Water that is pumped directly from under ground may be below this temperature range. Water that is pumped above ground, in hoses or the like, may become too warm for proper mixing, application, and adhesion.
Additionally, no EIFS application apparatus exists which may be left at a job site for more than a working day. This is due to lack of incorporation of security measures on available machines. Further, no EIFS apparatus is available which allows more than one sprayer to be used at a time. Finally, no existing machine allows base coat and a finish coat to be sprayed simultaneously.
Described is a self-contained finish spraying apparatus that allows a user to transport the apparatus to a job site and provides the tools to conduct finish spraying regardless of the lack of necessary components at the job site, such as water and electricity. The apparatus includes a generator, a water tank, a dry material silo, a mixer, an air compressor, and a conventional viscous sprayer. The invention includes all or most of these materials within security walls so that the apparatus may be left at an exterior location at a job site without risk of damage to the machinery by vandalism or theft.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a self-contained finish spraying apparatus that allows a user to transport the apparatus to a remote job site and leave the apparatus at the job site for an extended period of time.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a self-contained finish spraying apparatus that provides uniform mixing and spraying results.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a finish spraying apparatus that may be used by more than one operator at a time.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a self-contained finish spraying apparatus that allows for the application of base coat material and finish coat material simultaneously.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.